Feed 300 families in Tupaciguara Brazil

The volunteers at the Centro Espírita Amor e Fe are very happy indeed. At the end of the last quarter to help improve the lives of many people, something contagious happened. Our organization celebrated its 91st anniversary in a different way. We held a special Christmas campaign with the aim of collecting more food than we usually do each month, so that this year's Christmas food baskets would be larger in number and enriched with more items. We involved more volunteers and also reached more of the families we regularly assist.

On Saturday morning, the 8th, around 60 volunteers went out on a campaign asking for help in almost half of the city's streets. More than a ton of food was collected to make Christmas food baskets. The selection and assembly of the baskets began after a lunch meeting between the volunteers and the families assisted by the organization. The work took place in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.

The fruits of this campaign can be seen in the total number of food baskets delivered during this period. From July to November, around 15 food baskets were served each month. With the Christmas campaign, we reached a total of 170 food baskets delivered in December alone. This brings us to a total of 245 food baskets delivered up to December, with 209 families directly helped during this period. Around 1,070 people benefited, 418 of whom were children. A total of 80 volunteers were involved in the collection and delivery of the food baskets.

We are extremely grateful for the generosity of the community and for all the donations received. Thanks to people like you, any families will have a more special Christmas and will be able to enjoy a decent meal.

It's gratifying to see solidarity spreading and the positive impact our action is having on people's lives. We would like to thank all the volunteers, donors and partners who took part in this special campaign. If you would like to contribute and help, feel free to make a donation.

Together, we can make a difference to the lives of those who need it most. Thank you for supporting Centro Espirita Amor e Fe and for being part of this chain of love and solidarity.

“My wish is for people to be safe! Years ago, I was having lunch with my friend from middle school after volunteering some hours at an Autism Association when someone approached and unexpectedly asked for something to eat. We looked at each other and tried to act like this was a normal situation, but it was frankly a little shocking. We helped him but I still felt like something was missing. Experiencing it was quite different from writing some research paper about the world’s famine in high school. Back then, I was planning my future goals while applying for university, and I thought about him for weeks, wondering if he was waiting for a turn in his life like I was,” Melani tells us.

Melani is a 19-year-old CalState university student living in Los Angeles County with her parents and one of her siblings. She grew up in a family whose members encourage critical thinking, empathy and commitment. Since childhood, she was free to make her own choices, and neither received religious guidance nor had any will to follow any kind of doctrine. Creativity has always been a big part of her world. She believes that once you are familiar with the basic foundations of something, you can then evolve and expand into countless things in thousands of ways. As a full-time computer science student preparing to land a stable job, Melani aims to feel comfortable with the people around her and live financially independent of her parents in a few years.

“So many questions popped up in my mind after that unexpected encounter with the beggar and I felt like knowing more. I still find myself with more questions than answers. Am I responsible for what is happening with them? How are we connected? What can I do? The way people acted towards me, how they dressed, or whatever minor or grand thing, all called for different ways to connect. In any case, interactions are constantly changing but I have never struggled too much in changing myself to fit them. I was disappointed in myself that it took me so long to figure out that no matter how much I studied nothing could be fully comprehended until I started to make an effort and be involved somehow, even if it’s originally not something that affects me directly. That’s why I decided to donate a part of my allowance to regularly help others who need it”, she says.

Melani was the first Center’s core monthly supporter at GlobalGiving, one of our “Guardians of Love” who contributes to alleviate people’s suffering caused by famine. Thanks to people like her we were able to reach 382 people in need last quarter. In our mission to support them, a team of 45 volunteers enriched the food baskets with 432 juice boxes, 140 fruit and vegetable bags, 60 chocolate bar boxes, and 45 personal hygiene kits. As expected, new families were added to our registry and we worked along with other institutions to help them. Also, we have improved our social care by getting to know our beneficiaries better. On the other hand, we fell short of helping all registered families due to the low supply. Overall, the achievement of results has depended more on donations than on our team’s commitment to carry out the project. So, if you have more than you need, please, spread the love and share it with others.